Luxury Vacations

November 2011

I am one lucky Wine Chix. I received an invitation from the Czech Tourism Department to explore the wine, food and activities of the trending Czech Republic via Prague and South Moravia. It was a short trip – just five days, but oh what a great five days it was. I had the opportunity of a lifetime not just to explore, but to discover the soul of this sensual country.... Read More

Hamburg and Berlin. Like stunning siblings— one a sophisticated, petite brunette and the other an outgoing, out-there blonde— these sisters have their own distinctive personalities. Each is special, each is different. And both are worth getting to know.... Read More

Though wine has been made in Portugal since Roman times, the country’s spirits industry is experiencing a rapid rebirth as the world discovers its distinctive and increasingly acclaimed wines, especially from the renowned region of the Douro Valley, where the country’s eponymous Ports are made.... Read More

If you’ve never been to Venice, Italy, but always wanted to go, there is no need to bemoan the cost of a flight across the pond just to experience the charm and gondolier rides of the iconic Italian city. Opt for something just a bit less expensive — yet nearly as memorable — and head to Providence, Rhode Island.... Read More

When commuting from San Diego to L.A. I rarely stop to smell the roses. My goal is to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible; and I may know an exit or two for a coffee stop, but as a whole, that two hours in the middle is a big grey area.... Read More

Cheese lovers are not quiet or shy about their passions. From salty blue cheeses and runny Camemberts, to a sharp Cheddar or smooth goat cheese, flavors rarely border on bland or boring. And cheese aficionados are rarely anything less than opinionated. But no matter your preference (stinky vs. subtle, runny vs. hard), to witness the process of making cheese is to delve deeper into a lengthy process of curdling, stretching, washing, and ripening. And there are places the world over where this process can be discovered firsthand by curious cheese-loving travelers.... Read More

A month into autumn, there are so many harvest festivals and regional gastronomic celebrations on the calendar worldwide, we can't figure out an orderly and fair way to cover them. So we shall make do with a disorderly and probably unfair roundup (because we can't possibly include EVERYTHING that's deserving), in installments as we can manage. Here's a first dispatch of harvest-time goodness, with more to follow — in no particular ranking, because "better" in this case is only a matter of personal taste.... Read More